Griffins Connect
December 13th #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
2020 Winter Break Reading Challenge
Join us for our Winter Break Reading Challenge! K4 through 8th Grade Participants who complete our challenge will enjoy PANCAKES WITH THE PRINCIPALS!
- Kindergartners (4K & 5K) are asked to complete the Penguin/Snowball page. (CLICK HERE!)
- Students in Grades 1-8 are asked to complete the Candy Cane page. (CLICK HERE!)
NOTE: For the form to count, it needs to be completed between December 18 & January 3. Just follow the directions including a parent’s signature. All forms are due to homeroom teachers by Wednesday, January 8, 2020.
We would also love for you to share pictures of your child as he or she participates in this year's Challenge. Use #SterlingReads2020 within your Facebook/Twitter posts and we'll share them on our school's page. You can also send a direct message or simply email Dr. Patterson. Happy Holidays & Happy Reading!
What's Ahead...
This Week...
- December 14th-18th: Beta Club Spirit Week to benefit Trees Upstate
- December 14th: Triple P Parenting Workshop Series Begins; 11:30am (see info below)
- December 14th: Last day of eBookfair (see info below)
- December 16th: PTA Reflection Entries Due
- December 16th: Holiday Online Safety Webtalk with Rick Floyd; 6:30-7:30pm (see info below)
- December 18th: Half Day: 11:45am dismissal for Elementary; 12:00/Noon dismissal for Middle
- December 18th: Winter Break Reading Challenge Begins @ Dismissal
2020 Spirit Week Starts TOMORROW!
Spirit Week will be December 14-18, 2020. The Jr. Beta Club will be celebrating school spirit and fundraising for TreesUpstate, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to plant, promote, and protect trees in the Upstate.
Some activities and events included are:
Dress Up Days:
- Monday, December 14 - Business on top, eLearning on the bottom: What was your “school from home” outfit? Wear your formal, Chromebook-camera-ready top, with cozy, comfy PJs or sweatpants on the bottom!
- Tuesday, December 15 - Decades Day: Dress up to represent your favorite decade! We can’t wait to see the best looks from the 50s, disco and grunge eras!
- Wednesday, December 16 - Twin Day: Grab a friend, or two, or three, and dress alike!
- Thursday, December 17 - Team Day: Show your support for your favorite team!
- Friday, December 18 - Holiday Spirit: Who’s got holiday spirit? YOU DO! Ugly sweaters, silly hats? Wear it all!
Support the Sterling School Jr. Beta Club raise money for Trees Upstate! Purchase “Krispy Kreme Digital Dozens” - buy a digital coupon for a dozen donuts! Cost per dozen = $10.00
Cash or checks (payable to Sterling school) - bring the money to your homeroom teacher in an envelope labeled “Digital Dozens” with your name, grade level and teacher's name.
Order here: Jr. Beta Donut Fundraiser Deadline: Dec. 15
Holiday Message-Grams:
Send a holiday message to your friends! Cost - $1.00 per message; Details will be shared with homeroom teachers.
Principal for a Day Contest:
Would you like to rule the school for a day? Enter this contest ($1.00) for a chance to win so that you can be Principal for a Day!
2020 Sterling School eBookfair Ends TOMORROW!
We are so excited to be able to have a book fair this year! It will not be a traditional fair; it will be an eBookfair December 7-14th. Books will be shipped directly to your home and they should arrive within 5-7 days from the day you order. We are also hoping to give out some gift certificates to our students who may not be able to buy books otherwise. Thank you for your support!
2020 Band & Strings Winter Concert
CTC Student Newspaper: Latest Edition
Extra, Extra, Read All About It! The ninth edition of the CTC Student Newspaper, our school's student newspaper, is out! (CLICK HERE!)
A student newspaper teaches and reinforces a lot of skills that will benefit students today and tomorrow. Students who participate in a student newspaper learn a lot of workplace skills such as management, meeting deadlines, and communicating with others. School newspapers also enforce a need for teamwork.
Thank you, in advance, for supporting our students by taking a few minutes to read and admire their work! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
#SubsForSterling: Parents, We Need YOU!
Parents, YOU might be able to help keep our students in school AND get paid while doing it. We need SUBS! When teachers have to be out for long periods of time for quarantine or in more rare cases positive test results, we do not have enough substitutes to keep all classes covered. Often times the teacher is either teaching remotely or will prepare student materials via Google Classroom, but we still need an adult to supervise classes and make sure all safety protocols are being followed.
If you are able to help serve as a substitute for Greenville County Schools, please follow this link to get started and be sure to let us know (email Dr. Patterson!). We will be happy to help facilitate the process. You may choose to work at any school or you can select Sterling exclusively. Work only on the days that fit your schedule. We appreciate your consideration to help the school by serving as a substitute!
Reflections Entries Due Wed., Dec. 16th
Calling all students in K4-8th grade! This year's theme for the National PTA Reflections is "I Matter Because..." The wonderful thing about Reflections is that you can express yourself through dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. Details on how to submit your entry are coming soon but in the meantime, "reflect" on why YOU matter because you ABSOLUTELY DO! Show, sing, play, tell, snap, paint, draw, film and tell your story. All entries can be submitted online this year for those who choose to do so, or we can help get your work scanned and uploaded for you. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, December 16!
For Reflections questions, please contact Heidi Dannelly.
A Special Invitation from Ms. Benvenuto...
Positive Parenting Program, also known as Triple P, is a researched based program that aims to promote positive, caring relationships between parents and their children, and help parents develop effective management strategies for dealing with a variety of childhood behavioral and emotional problems and common developmental issues.
Join our very own school counselor, Nicole Benvenuto, on Monday, December 14, 2020 for the first parenting seminar of the three part series with colleague Allison Groner. Click the image or CLICK HERE to register.
The Power of Positive Parenting seminar will explore what positive parenting is through diving deeper into the five key principals:
- Creating a safe, interesting environment
- Having a positive learning environment
- Using assertive discipline
- Having realistic expectations
- Taking care of yourself as a parent
Holiday Online Safety Webtalk with Rick Floyd
Winter break and holiday celebrations are right around the corner! Kids will be on their devices or asking for devices over the break. Join Rick Floyd and Julie Valentine Center as we discuss internet safety over the holidays, and some tips to think about if your child will be receiving a device this holiday. Whether it’s a phone, computer, tablet, or gaming system, Rick will provide valuable information for you and for you to share with your child about online safety!
You can join us via zoom or watch us live on Facebook.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
#SterlingSchoolWeGotThis: A Call for Support
Over the weekend, South Carolina DHEC reported the highest number of cases since the pandemic began. Our positivity rate was over 20%, which has been the trend for the last week. While rumors have circulated about a possible full district return to eLearning, I wanted to provide some clarity and a call for support among our school families. Moving forward, it is most likely individual schools within the district would be moved to eLearning based on each school’s unique situation.
We want to ask our families for their support as most of our traditional, hybrid students are now back for full-time, in-person instruction. To help keep our students in school, please remember the following:
- Families should keep students at home if they display any of the following symptoms: cough or shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing; fever (of 100.4 or higher) or chills; muscle or body aches; vomiting or diarrhea; or, new loss of taste or smell.
- Report any known positive COVID-19 exposures and positive cases immediately to Dr. Patterson.
- If you are able and willing, consider serving as a substitute at our school. (See additional information below.) Without the needed personnel, we cannot operate our school.
- Model and communicate COVID protocols so our students are more likely to follow your example: wear a mask when in public, avoid large gatherings, frequently wash or sanitize hands and high-touch surfaces, stay home and away from others when sick,
With only one week to go before winter break and our state and county’s high number of cases, we continue to ask for everyone’s help. Thank you, in advance, for your support of our school.
Dr. P.
Jr. Beta Book Drive
The Jr. Beta club members partnered with the Leaders Readers Network for a Book Drive and Words of Encouragement Club service project. Saanvi Merchant, who attends J.L. Mann and is a student ambassador for the Leaders Readers Network, helped coordinate the project with the Jr. Beta Clubs.
Our Sterling School Jr. Beta Clubs would like to thank everyone who brought in books! We collected over 500 books which will be donated to Title 1 schools in our area. Each book has a book plate sticker decorated by a Jr. Beta Club member.
Sterling School
Email: jpatterson@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website: www.greenville.k12.sc.us/sterling
Location: Sterling School, John McCarroll Way, Greenville, SC, United States
Phone: 864-355-4480
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theSterlingSchool
Twitter: @SterlingSchool